Hollywood icon, gay rights advocate Tab Hunter dead at 86

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Tab Hunter, pictured here in a still from "Damn Yankees!," died. He was 86. (Warner Bros.)

Hollywood icon, gay rights advocate Tab Hunter dead at 86

Tab Hunter, pictured here in a still from "Damn Yankees!," died. He was 86. (Warner Bros.)

Tab Hunter, the 1950s Hollywood heartthrob who appeared in “Damn Yankees!” and also made a name for himself in the music industry, has died. A rep for the actor told The Hollywood Reporter that Hunter died three days shy of his 87th birthday.

A Facebook page for the star announced his death and asked fans to “honor his memory by saying a prayer on his behalf.” The post added, “He would have liked that.”

The blonde hair, blue-eyed Hunter quickly became one of Hollywood’s top leading men in the 1950s and ’60s landing roles in movies like “Damn Yankees!” and “Battle Cry.” He scored a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. and acted in several of their films like “Burning Hills” and “The Girl He Left Behind.”